WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court panel threw out on Friday a lawsuit by 215 Democratic members of Congress accusing President Trump of illegally accepting benefits from foreign governments, saying that individual lawmakers cannot sue the president on behalf of the entire Congress. Even assuming that the allegations against Mr. Trump were true, the Supreme Court ruled out lawsuits of this type nearly a quarter-century ago, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said. The lawmakers claimed in their complaint that Mr. Trump had violated the Constitution by financially profiting from foreign officials who patronized his hotels and other properties. The emoluments clauses of the Constitution prohibit federal officials from accepting financial benefits from foreign governments without congressional approval. “Our conclusion is straightforward because the members — 29 senators and 186 members of the House of Representatives — do not constitute a majority of either body and are, therefore, powerless to approve or deny the president’s acceptance of foreign emoluments,” the judges wrote.

Source: New York Times February 07, 2020 15:37 UTC